Trolley.



PATENTED JULY 5, 1904.

IB. E. SUNNY.

TROLLEY.

APPLIUATION FILED 1320.10. wos.

N0 MODEL.

my mw W mE d v ma n F e Q...

UNITED STATES Patented July 5, 1904:.

PATENT OFFICE.

BERNARD E. SUNNY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 'ITO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORA"ION OF NFV YORK.

TROLLEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 764,392, dated July 5, 1904.

Application iileri December 10, 1903. Serial Nn. 184,561. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, BERNARD E. SUNNY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improv ements in Trolleys, of which the following is a speciiication.

In certain electric-railway systems the current-collecting capacity of the trolley-wheels usually employed is not adequate to fulfil the demand placed upon them, as is found to be the case in the high-current systems lately adopted, wherein four motors are employed' for the propulsion of a car. The most serious defect with the single-trolley single-wire system is the unavoidable sparking' that occurs at the trolley, which not only causes loss of energy, but is the cause of the trolleybecoming sooner or laterirreparably destroyed. An obvious desideratum in this connection, therefore, is an increase of area of contact bctween the current-supply conductor and the current-collecting device. I prefer to attain this end by employing a double-conductor electric system for which a novel means is provided for taking current from both wires or conductors.

The object of my invention is to so design a trolley or current-collecting device as to be simple and inexpensive and to be in the nature of an attachment which can be used in connection with the present standard form of trolley.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which is based upon a consideration of the liability of the conductors to vary as to parallelism, so that contact may be maintained through all reasonable variations in the distance likely to exist between the conductors.

For a fuller consideration of what I regard to be the novel feature of the invention reference is had to the accompanying drawings in connection with the following description and the appended claims.

Figure l of thedrawings shows one embodiment of the invention, illustrating1 in front elevation a trolley-wheel and the improved attachment partly in section. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof with portions broken away, and Fig. 3 is an end view of the attachment looking at the end which is shown presented to the trolley-yoke in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, I re1n'csents a trolley wheel, 2 a yoke-mounting for the wheel, and 3 spring contact members, all of the usual construction. Supported at one side of the Wheel l is a roller 4, which is adapted to form contact with a conductor 5, while the wheel contacts with a conductor 6 of a double-current supply system. Relatively to the roller the trolley-wheel functions as a guide by reason of its groove, which forms a restricted or unvarying path of contact with its conductor 6, whereas the roller is preferably elongated in its lateral dimension, so as to have a wide field or surface of contact with the conductor 5. he roller is so formed on account of the possible diii'crences in the distance between the conductors, and consequently theconductor 5 may ride on the roller ina shifting or varying path of contact as distinguished from the constant path of contact which the conductor (i has with the trolley-wheel.

The roller is constructed to be light in weight yet embodying the necessary strength, and therefore its diameter is relatively much smaller than that of the trolley-wheel. This necessitates the shaft 7, on which the roller rotates, being supported at a suitable height above the axis of the trolley-whecl in order that the point of contact of the roller with its conductormay be substantially in the hori- Zontal plane with the conductor 6 and the point of contact with the wheel. In other words,` the tangential points of contact of the roller and trolleywheel are in a common plane parallel with their respective axes. For this purpose the shaft 7 is mounted in` a bracket 8, which is secured to one side of the yoke 2, preferably by bolts 9, so to be rc` movably supported thereon. Intermediate the base l() of the bracket and the near end of the roller relatively to the t1'olley\vheel.

is a wiping-contact device. This latter eom ber 12, which is riveted to the bracket at one end, while its free end wipes against the iinished end surface of the fiange l1. This construction aifords a very satisfactory contact between the roller and yoke without the danger of sparking at the wiping Contact. As shown in Fig. 3, the free end of the spring 12 is formed into a ring, preferably to encompass the head 13 of the bracket. The iiange 11 also serves as a guard to prevent the conductor 5 from working' off that end of the roller should the trolley-wheel leave its wire. A sleeve 14, of suitable bearing metal, is provided on the shaft 7, upon which the roller revolves. The roller is preferably hollow throughout part of its length for the purpose of lessening its weight.

It will be noted that the bracket, roller, and spring-contact form a completely-organized structure which can be readily affixed to the trolley-yoke or removed therefrom without interfering with any of the adjustments of its individual parts.

The axes of the trolley-wheel and roller are relatively fixed, so that the points of contact are always in a common plane which is at right angles to the direction of the force eX- erted by the usual erectile spring at the base of the trolley-pole, whereby the force tends equally to retain both members of the current-collecting device in contact with their respective conductors. In view of this fact and that of the relation which the trolleyheel and roller normally have with their conductors there is a mutual effort between the members to retain each other in contact with the conductors, and thereby reduce the possibility of their leaving the same, yet at the same time the shape of the roller affords a limited freedom for lateral movement of the device relatively to the conductors.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes I have described the principle of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof; but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A current-collector for a double-conductor electric system, comprising two members, one having a constant path of contact relatively to one conductor and the other adapted to have a shifting path of contact relatively to the other conductor.

2. A current-collector for a multiple-conductor electric system, comprising two contact members, one member having a definite contact relation with one conductor and the .other member having a variable contact relation with the other conductor according tothe distance between the conductors.

3. A current-collector for a multiple-conductor electric system, comprising two members mounted in relatively fixed relation to each other, one member having a shifting position of contact with one conductor and the other member having a relatively constant position of contact with the other conductor.

4. Acurrent-collector for a double-conductor electric system, comprising two revolving members electrically connected and mounted in relatively fixed relation, one member having an elongated contact-surface and the other having a restricted contact-surface.

5. A current-collector for a double-conductor electric system, comprising two revolving members electrically connected and mounted in relatively fixed relation, one member cooperating with one conductor whereby the path of contact between the other member with the other conductor varies according as the distance between the conductors varies.

6. A current-collector for a double-conductor electric system, comprising a revolving contact-wheel, a roller having an elongated surface, and means electrically connecting the wheel and roller.

7. A current-collector for a double-conductor electric system, comprising a revolving contact-wheel, a roller supported in a lateral position to the wheel with a tangential point of contact with its conductor disposed in a plane common to the point of contact between the wheel and its conductor, and means electrically connecting. the roller and wheel for collecting current of like signs from both conductors.

8. Acurrent-collecting device fora doubleconductor electric system, comprising a trol` ley-wheel, a yoke for the same, a bracket attached to the yoke, and a roller supported on the bracket having a laterally-elongated contact-surface.

9. A current-collecting device for a doubleconductor electric system, comprising a trolley, a yoke for the same, a bracket attached to the yoke at the side of the wheel, a shaft fixed to the bracket, a roller having a wide contact surface mounted revolubly on the shaft, and an electrical connection between the roller and yoke.

10. A current-collecting device for a doubleconductor electric system, comprising a trolley-wheel, a yoke-mounting for the same, a removable bracket attached to the yoke, a laterally extending shaft supported by the bracket, a roller mounted on the shaft, and a spring wiping contact member between the roller and yoke. A y

11. In a current collecting device for a double-conductor electric system, the combination of a trolley-wheel, a yoke-mounting for the same, and an auxiliary collecting attachment comprising a bracket, a roller mounted thereon and a resilient wiping contact mem- IOO IIO

l i i `ber between the bracket and roller, and means for the same, an auxiliary current-collecting attachment, and means for removably connecting the attachment with the yoke in electrical conducting relation, said attachment comprising a bracket, a shaft carried by the same laterally disposed relatively to the trolley-wheel, a roller mounted on the shaft having an annular flange or guard at the end adjacent to the trolley wheel, and a resilient member iixed to the bracket and forming a wiping contact with the flange or guard of the roller.

' 13. `An attachment for a trolley, comprising a bracket, a shaft carried by the same, a roller mounted on the Shaft, and a spring-V contact between the roller and bracket.

14. An attachment for a trolley, comprising a bracket, a shaft carried by the same, a roller on the shaft, and a spring-contactfixed on the bracket and engaging with the roller.

15. An attachment for a trolley, comprismounted in the head, a roller on the shaft,

`and a spring-contact lixed between the base of the bracket and roller.

16. An attachment for a trolley, comprising a bracket having a head and a base,a sha'lt mounted in the head, a roller on the shaft, a flange formed on the roller adjacent the bracket, and a spring' fixed to the base ci the bracket and having its free end wiping against the iange of the roller.

ing a bracket having a base and a head, a shaft" i 17. An attachment for a trolley, comprisi ing a bracket having a head and a base, a shaft mounted in the head, a roller on the shaft, an annular langeformed on the roller adjacent the bracket and having a smoothly-linishcd end surface, and a spring contact member fixed on the bracket and having an annular portion at its free end normally in wiping contact with the finished surface of the end of the roller.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 7th day of December, 1903.

` BERNARD E. SUNNY.

Witnesses:

Guo. 1).-TowNsnND, N, I). ZECK. 

